Topband: Out-of-Turn Callers

[Greg Wilson]

Can't resist adding my two cents...It's not up to KK6ZM to decide that 
K1N is not hearing JA's and so decide that it is OK to call;  that just 
creates confusion and animosity from those who have the will power to 
stand by.  It's up to K1N to change the protocol from "JA only" to 
"anyone".  I don't know if K1N did that this morning or not because I 
was not listening. There may have been a JA who was going to "peak" into 
K1N's receiver but was missed because of KK6ZM.  How many times have we 
worked someone on 160 during a "2 minute opening".  K1N did put some 
JA's in the log this morning so KK6ZM shouldn't assume that he wasn't 
going to hear more even if it took several standby's with no copy.

The K1N team has a lot of top ops there.  They know better than to 
disregard their own instructions.  If they did, it was their mistake.  
If they opened it up and KK6ZM just didn't hear them do it (maybe 
because he was calling instead of listening?) then he is the one to blame.

I have no bone to pick with KK6ZM.  It is unfortunate for him that he 
was singled out...He may be a fine op otherwise -- but I wish everyone 
would follow the DXpedition instruction and not try to manufacture their 
own "rules" for when to call.  It's not consistent with the DX Code.  
While I understand the frustration, I also understand how difficult it 
must be for the JA's to have their short window of opportunity...just 
like the U.S. was frustrated with the short window to EP6T.  If more 
people had been quiet while they tried to work someone, more would have 
gotten through.  We've got to discourage people from the incessant calling.

None of us is perfect and so we make mistakes from time to time, 
especially when stations are weak and "in and out" of the noise. We all 
"understand" that.  But there is no good excuse for calling when you are 
hearing well and know full well that you are not the one whom the DX is 
trying to answer.

I guess that may have been 3 cents worth instead of 2...

73, Greg-N4CC

On 2/3/2015 2:11 PM, Jim - WS6X wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
>
> It was interesting to me this morning to listen to the K1N operation attempt
> to put into their log some JA contacts.
>
> <SNIP>
>
> For the most part, NA stations stood by and allowed the process to go
> forward.  However, one station in particular, even after being asked by K1N
> to standby as he was working JA only, persisted in calling.
>
> This is a request to KK6ZM to please listen to the instructions of the
> expedition operator.  Your behavior most likely precluded a number of JA
> stations from being logged by K1N.  This is NOT good.
>
> 73, and I hope everyone has good luck in making the grade with K1N on
> Topband.
>
> Milt, N5IA
>
> ====
> This is not a defense of KK6ZM -- I don't even know the guy -- but I can
> assure you, he was very much aware of what he was doing. Patrick was in the
> Low Band Chat Room for the duration of this morning's opening. He heard and
> understood the K1N request for JA only. He also heard ~20 JAs calling. After
> a few K1N calls for JA, they went back to an out-of-turn caller, K4xxx.
> After that, KK6ZM waited until he was sure K1N was not hearing the JAs
> before he threw in his call. He took a lot of cluster heat, but some of the
> Low Band Chat guys encouraged him to keep trying. (They also heard the JA
> callers who K1N was apparently not hearing.)
>
> As I said, I know very little about KK6ZM, but I DO know this... When I
> still lived in CA, on 160, he "out-heard" me 10:1. This morning he was
> hearing K1N and the JAs very well. He was not being a deliberate bozo. It
> was not until K1N rewarded the K4 for out-of-turn calling that he tried his
> luck.
>
> Say what you want to about KK6ZM. In my opinion, K1N shot himself in the
> foot when he didn't follow his own in instructions.
>
> Now for my little vent... Nah, it ain't worth it! :o)
>
> Jim, WS6X
>
>
>      
>
> _________________
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